A different perspective
by wackypole
Summary: Every angel has a devilish side. Some are just more prominent than the others. Have a peek into the distinctive mindset of Ashley, when she is not just any other normal duras. I do not own Uragiri wa Boku no Namae o Shitteiru. Re-edited.
1. Blazing

**I'm not an anti-hotsuma writer when I started this fic, in fact I do love his direct and straightforward personality. I just wanted to try looking from the antagonist perspective and try to explore a few possibilities to the whole Uraboku plot. Therefore please do not burn me :)**

**Blazing**

"There's no hope. Everyone just leaves."

A violent gust of wind blows across the city as the leaves swirl around the air before landing gently on the ground. Autumn is approaching. The streets are filled with ant-like people scurrying about, rushing to get home. The roads are packed with tiny bug-like vehicles, noisy and unmoving as usual. This is exactly what Ashley is seeing as she stood at the top floor of the highest skyscraper in the city. As she gently shuts her eyes and allow gravity to pull her back to the ground like those falling leaves, her life flashes by in her mind eye.

"Welcome lost lamb, I'll grant you power. Welcome to the house of divination." She murmurs as she surveyed the pitiful soul of the young high school girl sitting right before her.

"Indeed unrequited love is painful. The longing of someone you can never have is heart wrenching, it will practically eat your life away. This is especially true when your heart pinned for someone like Renjou Hotsuma." Ashley explained, her eyes betraying no emotions. "However I can take all this pain away, as long as you've brought the necessary stuff."

Ashley smiles as she watches the pitiful young girl falls into a never ending slumber in her mind eye. Her fingers traced over the hem of a particular handkerchief that supposedly belonged to a certain hot-headed zweilt guardian as she cursed.

"Die, Renjou Hotsuma".


	2. Scorching

**Scorching**

As she stares at the man before her, her mind reeled in shocked.

"NO YOU'RE NOT THE ONE!" She screeched in anger and frustration. " IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE YOUR PARTNER! DAMN IT!"

So it's not his handkerchief, Ashley reasoned. She had miscalculated. Badly. Ashley tied Shusei Usui against the cross to prevent him from retaliating. She paces back and forth across the mansion she created. She was so close to getting back at him, for all the hurt, grief and loneliness he had inflicted upon her. Her eyes were blinded by her tears as her rage continues to built up inside her. It was him. He stripped away her hope to live and caused her to descend into dark madness. It was him. Renjou Hotsuma. Ashley let out a ear piercing shriek that shook the very core of the whole mansion before she broke down in uncontrollable sobs.

"SIS! HELP!" The piercing scream of a young boy, filled with excruciating pain, sound through the air. Panic shot through Ashley as she run towards her younger brother that was writhing on the ground. She felt her arms burned as she kneel down beside her brother. Kids were wailing and scattering apart while she tries her best to put out the fire that was engulfing the young boy. Absolute terror and devastation overwhelmed her as her brother thrashed about in pure agony before spreading still on the ground. The sirens of fire engines were ringing somewhere far away. People were calling out to her at a distance. Their voices seem so far away. She reached out to her brother and turned his body to face her as the hungry flames licked her arms. That was when time stops for Ashley. It was as though she was falling through a bottomless black hole. She felt numb. A pair of eyes filled with silent plea was staring at her. That was the only recognizable feature of the limp form on the ground. She will never forget the disfigured face of the sprawled out form of her brother.

Ever.

Ashley glared at her captive. There's no point hurting him. She strides towards him, lift his chin up and looked directly into his eyes.

" You will bring me Renjou Hotsuma, the one who loves to set people on fire."

Unknown to Ashley, Shusei has seen all her emotions with his God's eyes.


	3. Flaming

**Flaming**

"There they are" Ashley observed in anticipation as she uses her power to present Shusei in a gravely injured manner. "It's to provoke your partner". She forces Shusei to sleep, completely ignoring his protest.

Ashley turned around in time to see the mansion's magnificent door burst open, revealing a highly anxious and incensed zweilt guardian.

Within seconds, they are locked in a fierce combat. The intense desire for revenge and burning rage channeled through Ashley's veins to the very tip of her perfectly sharp claws that was trying to make a certain zweilt guardian bleed. As she was flinging the zweilt guardian across the hall, she noticed that he was already injured beforehand.

"To save him," Ashley pointed to the slumped image of Shusei, "you intend to sacrifice yourself? Stop this foolishness. He betrayed you and chooses to die alone."

"Don't speak nonsense, there's no way Shusei wanted this"

Ashley's eyes darkened as she saw how Hotsuma was filled with hope and determination for his partner. After causing her intense sorrow and leaving her without a single kin, how dare he appear in front of her with such faith and resolve? How dare him.

"It's pointless. That zweilt will never wake up. I'll just add him as another one of my collection."

"LIVE!" Hotsuma cried out at Shusei.

Ashley had to smile as she saw Hotsuma's desperate pleas. Finally she is causing him real pain. Though this is nothing compared to hers.

"Give up, he's dead."

Ashley turned around just in time to see a sword flashed passed her, striking at the pillars where her hand was a second ago. She whirled around to see Shusei freeing himself and walking towards Hotsuma.

"What's going on?" Ashley gasped.

"Hotsuma are you okay?" Shusei questioned in concerned as he stretches out his hands towards Hotsuma. "Your voice woke me."

Ashley felt strong denial as her mind was unable to take in the scene. Why must she be the one to suffer for his mistake? Why does he have everything she could never have? He is a murderer and she is the victim after all. Why is he still surrounded by loving friends and hope while she have nothing but despair?

"Stay exactly where you are right now." Ashley screeched as Shusei approached her calmly.

" Stop dwelling in the past and move on, revenge is only for sake of the living, not the dead. Your capability of all this arrangement only amplifies your love for your dead brother. Since you are still capable of loving someone, you're not truly an opast yet. To fall into darkness is not because of circumstances, but rather it's your decision."

Ashley is no longer aware of her surroundings. She was feeling numb and lost. It was easier said than done. Looking at the empty spot where her brother should have been, she felt that familiar pang in her heart. He should be around Hotsuma's age by now yet he is not there. It is indeed painful to yearn for something you can never have, except in the case for Ashley, it is more painful than unrequited love. She has still not fully mastered the level of an opast, hence she is incapable of reviving her younger brother. She is incapable of moving on and she knows that better than anyone else in that mansion at the moment. Feeling as though the earth is spinning on a single axis, she let out one final cry, she vanished into thin air as the mansion crumpled into dust.


	4. Glowing

**Glowing**

"You'll spend your whole life atoning for it, Hotsuma Renjou."

This was Ashley last thought as she plummets towards the earth. Time seems to stop eternally as the similar squared glass windows of the highest skyscraper flashes past her. The air was rushing against her falling momentum. She thought she had heard someone screaming her name at a distance. Suddenly, all her breath was knocked out from her lungs. It feels as though she was being run over by a truck. She felt herself soaring through the sky before she landed gently on the ground, just like a fallen leaf.

Luka Crosszeria stepped aside immediately after putting Ashley safely back on earth so as to avoid colliding into a hysteric zweilt guardian.

Ashley finally opened her eyes only to see Hotsuma's face in her field of vision. "You should have stayed back, there's nothing you can do." She croaked before a single tear fell from her eye. She was exhausted, both physically and mentally, till the point she couldn't even cry.

Hotsuma Renjou found himself hugging that broken girl that was in his arms right now. He was mortified after Shusei told him the truth. He had actually caused someone to fall into the grasp of darkness. "Almost", Shusei reminded him.

"I'm sorry. I really don't want to hurt anyone else. I understand why you will never forgive me, and I know I do not deserve it, but please live, because there is someone who will be hurt if anything happens to you" Hotsuma whispered into Ashley's ears, "That person is me."

Ashley's eyes widen as she heard Hotsuma. She felt a warmth which somewhat quenches her pain creeping into her heart. It has been a long time since she felt that way, that someone is truly concern for her. This warmth feels gentle and welcoming. She gave a weak smile before she whispered to Hotsuma.

"Thank you."

For the first time in a long while, Hotsuma felt guiltless and lifted. Just those two words alone allow him to beam with joy.

Suddenly there was a red glow around Ashley's head before she fell limp on Hotsuma's arms. "Ashley" Hotsuma cries as Luka spin around in alarm, just in time to Kanata Wakamiya disappears in a mist.

"Why do you simply erase her memories and bother to spare her life", Cadenza teased," Or is it because you couldn't bring yourself to finish her. After all, she lost her younger brother at a young age, just like you lose Sakurai Yuki"

Cadenza felt the hairs at the back of his neck stand as he nearly missed that deadly spell casted at his direction.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Touché", Cadenza smirked, "looks like our Lord still has a long way to go."

The End


End file.
